2017. mark your calendars and help us spread the word to student filmmakers. c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1970 nine, c-span was created as a public service by america's television people companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. >> each week, "american artifacts" takes you to museums and historic places. we visited woodrow wilson's house in washington, d.c., where the 28th president retired in 1921, after leading the nation through world war i and its diplomatic aftermath. he died here three years later. the executive director leads us through the house and highlights objects that provide a window

into world war i as wilson experienced it. the united states entered the war on april 6, 1917, as an ally of britain, france, and russia. 2 million american soldiers saw combat in france. mr. enholm: i am robert enholm, the executive director of this site in washington, d.c. this is the home into which president and mrs. wilson moved the day they left the white house in 1921. the home itself was built in 1916, and the wilson's acquired in december 1920, and decided to remain in washington, d.c. this home is a time capsule. it basically takes us back about 100 years ago, and allows us to see the way the world was then. we sometimes have the illusion that people in history were very much like us, only they were dowdy clothes, or something.

but actually that wilson's lived in an era when americans thought differently about themselves, about america's role in the world, when society was very different. the artifacts in this house open the door into that world, and i would like to help us do that today by looking at a couple of the artifacts in this home that tell the story of america's involvement with world war i. we are now almost 100 years from the date when the united states entered the war, in 1917. i observe often that history is studied in eras and epics, but it is lived in hours and days. this is very true with the wilson's and world war i. we associate the sinking of the lusitania with the entry into the war, and they are certainly linked but the lusitania was , sunk may 1915, and we did not enter the war until almost two years later. april of 1917. president wilson had to get up every day in those two years and deal with the fact that we were either going to be in the war or

not be in the war, and all the reactions of people, his constituents, other nations, the political figures that he dealt with. some of them felt we should have entered the war at the beginning of the war in europe, and others felt strongly that we never should have entered the war. wilson had to navigate that period of time, and those decisions, as president. i think it is fair to say woodrow wilson is the most consequential president from the time of abraham lincoln until the time of franklin roosevelt. i say that because he was our president during this remarkable event in world history, not only dealing with world war i, but the rise of the united states as a force in the world. by 1900, the united states had the largest economy in the world, but the consequences of that weren't fully appreciated until by the end of world war i, when america's role as a

military power and diplomatic power were understood and acknowledged. it was woodrow wilson, who was our president during that entire time, who really brought that change in america's role to the fore. wilson was a remarkable person to execute this change. he was a deeply religious person. all of us abhor war, but as a religious man, he felt he had a duty to do better than to collapse into war every generation. he was a political scientist, one of the founders of that discipline of thought. one of the first presidents of the american political science association. he thought that we could do better. he believed we could govern ourselves better as a world, and the combination of those two firmly held principles in his mind and heart led him to conclude, as world war i progressed, that there ought to be a better solution that would result in ending not only this war, but wars in the future, and

prevent future wars. from that came his idea of the league of nations, to which he devoted not only his political career, but arguably, his life and his place in history. the artifacts we have in this house can tell us the story of woodrow wilson's involvement with world war i. if i had to pick one artifact to explain that story, it would be this. i tell people it looks like a brass vase, but you will recognize that it is an artillery shell casing. this was the casing from the first shot fired by american troops in world war i in europe. a couple of things about this. it was fired in october of 1917. general pershing, the commander of the american expeditionary force in europe, had the thought that he should save this and send it to president wilson as a memento of america's involvement in the war. it is interesting that we

declared war in april, but the first shot was fired in october. it took us six months to go from the idea of entering the war, to being on the ground engaging with the enemy. most remarkable about this is that not only is this an artillery shell casing from the first shot fired by american troops in europe and world war i, it is the first shot fired by american troops in europe, full stop, ever. in my lifetime, america has always had an army in europe. in his lifetime, the opposite was true. we had never had an army in europe. at the beginning of world war i, the united states was tied for the 13th largest military in the world, tied with serbia and greece. by the end of world war i, we had 4 million men in uniform, having gone from 200,000, to 4 million. half of them, 2 million service personnel, were in europe at the end of world war i.

just the logistics of that are astounding. realize when world war i a erupted the combatants were , not even concerned about america's role. yet today, we think of america as an indispensable power in world politics. but at the beginning of world war i, we were an afterthought. it was woodrow wilson who achieved that transition. i have heard president in both political parties say, in my lifetime, that the united states doesn't go to war to build an empire or acquire territory. we go to war for principle, for the right. it was woodrow wilson who was the first american president to enunciate that proposition. i need only guide you back 20 years early to the beginnings of the spanish-american war, which was about taking over the dwindling colonies of the spanish empire. wilson thought going to war was about securing and enduring peace.

this artillery shell casing on the mantle in his bedroom, where he had it. i think it is fair to say it was not a trophy. it was more a reminder to him of the work yet undone. the creation of the league of nations had occurred, he was there and even was awarded the nobel peace prize for his work establishing the league of nations. as americans, we should remember that our country never joined. the senate declined to ratify. wilson went on a trip across the country hoping to appeal to the american public to override the will of the senators, but that never happened. the league of nations failed, in a series of votes in late 1919 and early 1920. the united states never joined. interestingly, late in life, i think wilson had a state of grace about this. he told one of his daughters who

reported in his memoirs her memoirs that he said, i realize great ideas do not rely on advocates, but they have a logic and power of their own. it would be only 25 years later when the u.n. was founded, and there was no nation in the world more intent on founding the united nations at the end of world war ii, than the united states. in 1945, when the u.n. charter was signed in san francisco, it in a way that is a conclusion of a conversation woodrow wilson had begun in american politics in 1918. another artifact that is remarkable in this room and , there are so many, but relating to world war i, is this sculpture. this was a gift to woodrow wilson from a young artist. he was a philippine artist in his 20's, who was studying in the united states, and had a day job as a waiter. one of his regular patrons was a

woman who was the secretary to the first lady, edith wilson. the artist had done this project as an art project, as a grad student, and told the woman he knew associated with the white house that he had done this in 1919, inspired by president wilson's efforts to bring peace to the world. it is inscribed with the word that means piece in spanish. he was invited to meet with president wilson. i read his account of coming to the white house, with the statue under his arm, wrapped in a towel. in those days, one did not encounter the secret service until you rang the doorbell. he was announced, and went into the oval office, where he spent time with president wilson and presented this gift. it was warmly received. we know when wilson lived in this house, he had this sculpture here or in his library.

the story is amazing but does not end there. wilson introduced him to an arts patron and supporter of president wilson. he helped support the artist in getting an education in rome, and eventually a phd, and going back to the philippines, where he became one of the great artists in the history of the philippines. it is interesting that woodrow wilson had a role in spurning -- spurring the career of a philippine artist who went on to live into the 1980's, and had an impact in his own country beyond here. work, themazing own, the figuregallo , of the woman, the child looking into the middle distance, presumably looking for peace, standing on a rock, under which you can see a crown, and a

world war i helmet. it is symbolism, but also a favorite piece of president wilson. president wilson passed away in this house in this room. his widow lived here until 1961, 37 years after he passed. she left this house to the national trust for historic preservation, to be a memorial to president wilson. over his bed, we can see a work of art. it is a textile painted on wood frame, and was presented to wilson during world war i by an italian artist, when wilson was visiting new york city. it was a favorite piece of wilson's, and he had it hanging over his bed in the white house, and over his bed here at the s street house. over the bed, there's also an interesting artifact, the pillowcase has been woven into the likeness of president wilson. it is a little unusual. the story explains it. during world war i, the united

states sent food aid to belgium, partially occupied by germany. part of it came in the substance of flour in cotton sacks. the belgians had centuries-old traditions of weaving lace, they did not have any fine thread. but they would take the flour sacks, undo them, and weave them into designs. this was a gift to president wilson and is a likeness of wilson, with some work around the edge to decorate. it is an amazing example of what people will do in war, when they are limited in materials that are available, and yet they have skill, and want to exercise that skill. this is the drawing room in the house. this home tells so many stories.

every room has stories to tell. one of the important stories in this room is the high regard with which the american president was held by the leaders of the world, certainly by the end of world war i. there are many gifts of state in this room, which are an acknowledgment of wilson's important role in bringing about the end of world war i, and securing the peace, the versailles treaty, and establishing the league of nations. today, we rightly think so much more of world war ii, than world war i. world war ii is closer to us in time. my own father was in that. my own father was in the navy in world war ii. it was also a more disastrous war, more damage. just on casualties. about 18 million people died in world war i, but 65 million people died in world war ii. but for the contemporaries of world war i, there had never been a cataclysm on this scale that they were enduring.

it is hard for us today to put ourselves back in the minds and passions of people in the early 20th century, and realize just what a tragedy world war i was to them, and how hopeless things must have seemed in the middle of the war that extended from 1914 until november of 1918. into that, president wilson brought the united states. not only did american troops lead to a decisive victory for the allies at the end of the war, but also his enunciation of the 14 points we may remember from high school. in that time, they were really important. what the 14 point said, among other things, was that this war could be terminated and ended on principle, it did not have to be a fight to the death. this was an innovation, coming from a senior leader of an important country. the 14 points can be seen as a

response to the bolshevik revolution in russia, which had occurred two or three months earlier in october 1917. the 14 points announced in january 1918. wilson was basically saying we can maintain the western europe and the world we all know, we can still have the forms of government we are comfortable with, and we can end the war without a fight to the death. it would take another better part of the year, nine or 10 months, before the german empire accepted the 14 points as the basis for negotiated peace. the date of that acceptance was known as armistice day. today, we call it veterans day. that is how important that day was. we still honor it as a national holiday, 100 years later. in that time, wilson was the world leader bringing the hope for peace to the world. when he went to europe to negotiate the versailles treaty at the end of world war i, he ended up staying for six months. some say, it was hard to travel in those days.

it was not that hard. it took him 10 days in an american warship to go across the atlantic. but there was nothing more important than ending the great war. wilson stayed and did whatever it took to do. while he was there, he took time to visit four countries. he visited france, italy, belgium, and great britain. while in italy, he went to rome and met with the pope, pope benedict the 15th. this is a mosaic, a gift from the pope to president wilson. it is such a fine mosaic, that you are to be forgiven if you think it is it an oil painting. scholars of art will recognize it is a detail from the renaissance painter. this was a work of the vatican workshop, and a gift of the pope, presented to president wilson, as a way to wish him well in bringing peace to the world at the paris peace conference. here's another amazingly

beautiful work of art. this is a painting by an armenian artist, and later and armenian american. one of the consequences of world empireas the ottoman that governed the middle east, turkey and that region, the ottoman empire collapsed after having controlling the area for eight or nine centuries. in that transition, the armenian people suffered greatly. who was our president? woodrow wilson. in that time, he responded to the crisis by sending food to armenia, one of the first examples of international humanitarian relief. one can think of america's role in international humanitarian relief today, and this is a precursor to that. the armenian people were very grateful. a group of armenian women

touring the united states, raising money for charities, were here in 1917, just after we entered the war, they presented this painting to president wilson. wife was one of the women. it depicts the artist's niece, holding the armenian national flower, which symbolizes hope. thus, the title of the work, "hope" in french. it shows the role of america in bringing humanitarian relief and being a player on the international stage. another gift we have in the home are three plates, these gold hand-painted plates are three of 15 plates that were a gift to president wilson from the king and queen of belgium, who wilson visited in europe.

they reciprocated by coming to the united states in the fall of 1919. this was the first trip by reigning monarchs to america. it is amazing to think we had been a country for all this time and queens had not visited the united states. but the belgian king came and presented president wilson with 15 plates, in a lacquered, velvet lined box. wilson about a month before had suffered a stroke about a month before that really devastated his health and presidency, but one could hardly say to european monarchs it is not a convenient time. wilson had an audience with them while he was in bed recuperating. edith wilson, the first lady, took the king and queen on a tour of the white house. before they left, they returned to his bedroom and found him with a magnifying glass looking

at the plates. wilson quickly realized that each plate depicted a building in belgium that had been destroyed in world war i. the plates really were in some ways a reflection of the damage that had been done in europe. it was a thank you to wilson for bringing the war to a conclusion and reestablishing normal society that could lead to the rebuilding of europe following world war i. when president wilson went to paris for the paris peace conference, he became the first american president to go to europe while in office. while he was in europe, he went to great britain, and with that -- at a reception hosted by the king and queen of england at buckingham palace. wilson became the first american president ever to meet a king of england. these are the portraits, are the photographs, of the king and queen, george the fifth and queen mary, which were presented to wilson. they are in silver frames with

their initials. these are the official portraits, and both are autographed. americans always ask so i will say these are queen elizabeth's grandparents. if you look closely, she bears quite a resemblance to her grandmother, queen mary. outside the library is a statute that deserves note. woodrow and edith wilson were both great supporters of the american red cross. this was one way the united states was involved in world war i, even before we declared war and became involved militarily. the red cross did great work in world war i, and was supported by many americans, including prominently, the president and first lady. this sculpture was based on a popular poster at the time. it is called, "the greatest mother in the world," and

depicts a red cross nurse kneeling and cradling what you might think is a baby, but actually is a small soldier, who has been grievously wounded. it is an amazingly empathetic work, and i can imagine why the american public was so taken with this image, the idea of the nurses tending to the soldiers who were wounded in this horrible conflagration that was sweeping first europe, and much of the rest of the world. it must have spoken to the impulse of americans to be involved, to do right, and do well. this was presented to president wilson we think by the artist sometime during world war i. here in woodrow wilson's library, as you might expect in a 100-year-old home, we have a whole range of artifacts to tell the story. this cabinet is full of gifts

and mementos of wilson's presidency. maybe the most amazing, and the one that relates most clearly to world war i, is this pin and stand. it is the pen woodrow wilson used to sign the declaration of war in april 1917. the way this would have worked, wilson earlier that week had given a speech before a joint session of congress. the house and senate voted and brought him the declaration four days later at the residence in the white house. he and his wife were having a lunch. it was like, where is the pen? it was an era before ballpoint pens. he said use mine. it was a gift to president wilson from it is willful -- it was a gift from president wilson to edith wilson. it sits on a stand, with a story of its own.

if you look closely, there is a walrus tusk carved in the shape of a walrus, with inlaid gold, and it was a gift from the inuit tribe in alaska to president wilson. this is before alaska was a state, when it was a territory. this is a statue that was a gift to the first lady from the city of rome. president wilson was the first american president to go to europe while in office. interestingly edith wilson was , the first american first lady to go to europe while in office, if you want to think of it that way. she had to answer a bunch of questions about how does the first lady conduct herself, how does she dress, all the formalities of being the wife of a head of state, and going to another country. when the wilson's visited italy, president wilson was in rome and given honorary citizenship by the city of rome. but edith was given this statue,

the statue of romulus and remus, the mythical founders of rome. on it are the initials that stand for the senate and people of rome. it is a very touching gift, and also fits into the theme of that era, of the growing role of women in society. edith accompanying president wilson raised questions that were in the minds of americans and others around the world in that time, of what role were women to have in our society. it would be really about that same time during the wilson administration that the 19th amendment was finally confirmed, and that women received the federal constitutional right to vote in the united states. in her own way, edith was forging a path for women that continues to this day, of the first lady accompanying the president on state visits, and having a formal role. this is a radio microphone from the 1920's.

it was from this room that president wilson made the first nationwide radio broadcast, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of armistice day, which was november 11, 1923. it was a microphone like this that wilson used to give a four minute speech on this occasion. he was quite anxious about it. he spend the day fretting and napping on and off. no one had ever spoken on radio like this before. and at that point, having endured a stroke, and still recovering, he was somewhat feeble. a person who has spoken as much as wilson still felt anxiety going on the radio. he gave the speech at about 8:00 that evening. it was very well-received. we have this microphone to commemorate that remarkable event. wilson used the occasion to appeal to the american people to reconsider the united states' rejection of the league of

nations, the united states never did join the league of nation. wilson appealed to americans, remembering both that it was consistent with the principles of our nation's founding, and also consistent with the sacrifices made by our troops in world war i that we join the league of nations. wilson was to pass away about three months later in this house, so it was really his last public address. really to his last days, wilson was appealing to america to really conclude world war i by joining the league of nations, a final step that we never took. we are now on the first floor, in what president wilson called the dugout. he was a big fan of baseball, which became popular in america when he was a teenager. this was the room in which his secretary would do correspondence. one of the world war i related artifacts that we have here is

this. people often ask, what is it? it looks like dryer lint. in a funny way, it is. it is wool before it has been woven into clothing. the story is as the u.s. got more and more involved in world war i, the white house decided they ought to free the workmen who were otherwise were doing mowing and landscaping at the white house, to support the war effort. the wilsons got a flock of sheep. it started out as six or eight. by the end of the war, it became 12 sheep or more. they would munch on the grass, and every spring, they would be shorn, and the wilsons would divide the wool into 50 different parcels, one for each state. there were 48 states. one for the district of columbia, and one for puerto rico. these would be auctioned in the states to raise money for the american red cross. this is an example of wool that

was auctioned on the boston common during world war i, to help support the american red cross, from sheep that tended to the white house lawn. another artifact in this room is this platter. pewtera p platter. this was a gift to president wilson from the people of belgium. as you can see, it is in horrible condition. not because we neglect the platter, but because it was pulled from the rubble of the burned building in belgium. this was presented to wilson at the end of the negotiations of the paris peace conference, the versailles treaty. in a way, i think this artifact is so poignant. it tells the story of the beginning of the war, and the end of the war. i would like to read what is inscribed.

it says, to the imminent president of usa, woodrow wilson. i will read exactly as it is, i think the person who wrote this, probably french was their first language. in any event, it says, in remembrance of his visit, in belgium, june, 1919. this dish has been drawn out of the ruins of hotel de la renaissance, belgium, entirely destroyed by the fire which has been systematically and inflamed in the town of the german soldiers, on 4-5 september, 1914. this is an artifact of the german invasion of belgium that started world war i. students of history will remember germany's plan was to sweep through the low lands of belgium, take paris before

anyone could respond, and then turn to russia to defeat them. that plan, of course, didn't work because in large part, belgium resisted. this fire was set about a month after germany invaded. plan hademember if the been going through belgium in a week or month. the hostility of that time, the violation of the neutrality of belgium, these were very intense issues in woodrow wilson's time. i think in a way, the belgians were presenting this plate to wilson to demonstrate to him the passions that were felt in that time, the intensity of the negotiations that he had conducted in versailles. remember, there were 26 belligerent or combatant nations that participated in this world conflict.

nations including india and japan, who were also involved in the hostilities. they had lost among them 18 million people. think about how excruciating these negotiations must have been, compared to the international negotiations we have today over things like climate change or trade treaties. wilson brought all of those parties together to sign the versailles treaty, to bring an end to world war i, and also to establish the league of nations that he thought was so important to maintaining enduring peace. here is where wilson's wife wilson's life almost takes on the dimensions of a great tragedy. as someone he thought new what should be done, he brought it back to the united states, and his political opponents were not of the same view. they have a legitimate view, and we can certainly debate it and , we do debate, the role of

america, but wilson saw beyond the horizons of history and imagined the world would need something like the united nations. he founded it in 1919. while the u.n. does not work perfectly today, i still think it is an amazing legacy how our 28th president had seen so clearly what the world would need to minimize the risk of war in the future. >> you can watch this and other american artifacts programs anytime by visiting our website, c-span.org/history. >> with the supreme court back in session, we have a special webpage to help you follow the court. select supreme court new the right-hand top of the page. forwill see the calendar this term, a list of current justices, and with supreme court video on demand, watch arguments in recent c-span appearances by supreme court justices at c-span.org.

nominated toas was the u.s. supreme court by president george h.w. bush in 1991. he was confirmed by the senate in a 52-48 vote. next, the white house swearing in ceremony, held 20 years ago -- 25 years ago this month. this is 20 minutes. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. bush, accompanied by justice byron white, and justice and mrs. clarence thomas. [applause] ♪ [applause]